a lot of love
by DefiantDreams
Summary: A collection of Multisaku drabbles that are too short to standalone. Prompts are welcome. Has Shisaku, SasuSaku, NaruSaku, ShikaSaku, and many more.
1. ShiSaku, big girls don't cry

Literally just a collection of Shisaku drabbles that aren't long enough to be posted as a single fic.

* * *

Sakura shut the door behind her and slid down, her hands trembling. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying in vain to keep the tears at bay. Don't cry, she berated herself. Don't cry, don't cry.

Unbidden, a sob escaped her lips and she covered her face, pressing her hands to her face in shame. She was so weak. She had already failed, already disappointed her team, and she was here crying instead of being useful. God, she thought that she had gotten past this, all she ever did was cry and she was supposed to be strong now.

"Sakura!"

She stiffened. The frantic knocks on the door she was leaning against jostled her huddled form.

She cleared her throat. "I'm busy!" Her voice cracked and Sakura winced, pressing her face to her knees in embarrassment.

There's silence, and Sakura feels his presence leave. She sniffed. Sakura wasn't sure whether she's relieved or disappointed that he had followed her wishes.

She wrapped her arms around her legs, her sobs stifled by sheer will, her chest aching as she's left alone to her tears and the despair that's slowly swallowing her up.

She heard the window of her office open and her head snapped up, her eyes wide. Shisui is there on the ledge of her window, his shirt still messy with blood and his hair matted with kami knew what. His features were lined with exhaustion and worry, his eyes unbearably tired from everything they had gone through in the past few hours.

"Sakura," he said softly, and carefully, slowly, he approached her. Slow was never a word that anyone used in describing Shisui, and seeing him so thoughtful of her state now, aware that using his shunshin to be at her side would only aggravate her, just makes her cry even more.

He crouched down in front of her and held out his arms. His movements were purposeful, each and every twitch of his muscles plainly advertised as if she was a wild animal easily spooked.

A moment passed where they just stare at each other, the few feet distance between them a yawning canyon before Sakura let out another sob and launched herself at him. He caught her easily, rocking back into his heels before he fell flat on his ass. He never once let go of her.

"It's not your fault," he murmured in her ear, one of his hands stroking up and down her back, the other buried in her dirty hair.

Sakura sobbed in reply, her hands tightening around his shirt, even as she pressed her face into his shoulder. Her cries were starting to take on an animal quality, loud and desperate as she tried to burrow deeper into his comforting embrace.

"It's not your fault," he repeated soothingly, his face pressed against the side of her head. "You did everything you could."

"It wasn't enough," Sakura moaned, her chest heaving as she blubbered through her words. "I wasn't enough."

"He would be dead if it weren't for you," Shisui replied vehemently, and for a second, his grip was painful on her but he relaxed. "You saved his life, Sakura."

"He will never walk–he will never be a shinobi again–I–he'll hate me, Itachi will hate me, Sasuke will hate me–"

"No," Shisui interrupted, "They could never hate you. He's alive, and that's what matters."

Sakura hiccuped and Shisui pressed a kiss to her temple. He held her for a few more minutes, his eyes closed as slowly, Sakura's sobs died down into tiny sniffles. He let out a shaky breath and Sakura pulled away from him. She wiped the tears and everything else on her face, and sniffed.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "You must think I'm so weak. It's just–this is Itachi, and that hit was meant for me, and he's alive, but he might never…" she trailed off, and water welled up in her eyes again and Shisui reached out to cup her cheeks, his eyes serious.

"It's okay to cry, it doesn't make you weak. It just means you've been strong for too long," Shisui told her, his eyes never leaving hers. Sakura let out a disbelieving burst of laughter, shaking her head in disagreement as she tried to pull away. Shisui didn't let her, his grip tightening as he pulled her in closer.

"You were so strong, Sakura, you were so calm even when everything was going wrong, even when you had to perform a field operation with barely anything. You saved his life even if the mission should have gone first." His tone was passionate as he rebuked her, and Sakura's gaze dropped. She avoided his eyes, an errant tear slipping down her face again.

"You held yourself together and kept him alive while we raced back to Konoha–Sakura, listen, listen. If it were any other medic with us a while ago, Itachi would be dead by now."

Sakura reached up to hold his hand and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Thank you, Sakura," he whispered. "Thank you."

Slowly, Sakura nodded, and this time, as a fresh wave of tears came, she let them come. Shisui pressed his face against her shoulder, his arms wrapped around her. Sakura only held him in return and said nothing as her shoulder slowly became damp with his tears.

* * *

prompt was: Shisaku, "It's okay to cry, they don't mean you're weak. They mean you've been strong too long"

(for happy thoughts: itachi is actually secretly relieved bcos it means he doesn't have to fight n kill people anymore. he eventually recovers though and walks after a few months/year idk)

you're welcome to send me more prompts? check out my profile to see what pairings i'm into to. im okay with most sakura ships.


	2. ShiSaku, sex therapist

prompt: "Your appointment with a sexual therapist was right after mine and we got talking in the waiting room."

* * *

Sakura was very much aware that the man had been staring at her for a while now, but she figured that he would stop at some point. She didn't want to make a scene, in the waiting room of a sex therapist no less, and so while his intent stare would have gotten him punched anywhere else, for now, all it garnered was a piercing glare and a disapproving frown.

However, it's been a solid few minutes since he had started staring and so far, he showed no signs of stopping. Sakura was done with playing nice.

"Do you want something?" she snapped out, turning her head to the left to meet his eyes. He jolted in surprise and then grinned at her. There was no inch of shame at being called out, and his blasé reaction only made her anger build.

"Hmm," he said mock thoughtfully and tapped his chin. "Some cotton candy would be nice right now."

Sakura gaped. "Excuse me?"

He gave her an amused look and tilted his head. "Cotton candy," he repeated teasingly. Sakura scowled. He was fucking with her!

Under her irritated gaze, he reached up and deliberately tugged on a stray lock from his already messy hair. He gave Sakura's own hair a significant look. It took a second for it to sink in, but once it did, it took everything in Sakura not to throw the magazine in her hands at his head.

She huffed an exhalation of air full of irritation and looked away. Somehow, her lack of response seemed to just encourage him to keep staring. Her lips pursed.

"My name's Shisui if you're wondering."

"I wasn't," she replied icily, her head turning again to narrow her eyes at him. At his amused gaze, she looked away and bit out, "Sakura."

"Sakura," he repeated as if he was testing out the taste and feel of her name on his lips. Sakura couldn't help but redden a bit and furiously, she hid her face in the magazine.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing here?"

"None of your business," she said shortly, eyes intent on the same paragraph she had been trying to read the last minute. As if she was going to tell him, a random stranger, that she was here because she had trouble orgasming! How embarrassing.

There's silence for a moment between the two of them and Sakura found herself wishing that the therapist would hurry up, or that Shisui would try to start another conversation or that _something_ would happen to relieve her from her boredom.

A few minutes later, Sakura finally snapped from the oppressive silence and the mind-numbingly boring article. She closed her eyes and turned her head to face him once more.

"So," she spoke up hesitantly. She dropped the magazine on her lap and kept her chin up as Shisui looked up from his phone. "What are you here for?" She asked, genuinely curious.

Shisui looked surprised for a moment, and Sakura worried that he'd throw her earlier words back at her. He recovered only a second later and leaned in closer, propping his arm up on the armrest.

"My cousin thinks I'm a sex addict," Shisui said easily, casually. No shame whatsoever. He gave her a playful boyish look and shrugged innocently. "I don't think so."

"What makes him say that?" Sakura asked and Shisui's cheeks seemed to redden a bit before the flush disappeared. Sakura wasn't quite sure it wasn't her imagination.

"He may have walked in on me and a girl a few times," he confessed. Sakura's brows furrowed.

"A few times," she repeated doubtfully.

"Like, 13 times," Shisui confided. She blinked. He opened his mouth and continued, sounding sheepish, "the past week."

"13 times the past week!" Sakura repeated loudly and Shisui's eyebrow twitched, a slight wince on his features.

She gaped. "With what? 13 different girls?"

Shisui opened his mouth and then closed it with a snap. He laughed. "Well. 14. There was this one–"

Sakura immediately shook her head and her hands and Shisui stopped talking. The mischievous glint in his eyes didn't leave though.

"You _are_ a sex addict," she told him seriously and nodded to herself, sure in her assessment. Shisui scoffed and raised both his legs to drape them over the low table. The muscles in his calves bunched and flexed and Sakura quickly looked away.

"You're not the doctor, you can't diagnose me."

Well. That was… technically true.

"So, what about you Sakura?" He wiggled his eyebrows and despite her earlier annoyance at him, she blushed. "I shared, it's only fair if you do too."

She huffed and covered her face. "I can't orgasm," she said into her hands, her words muffled. There's a beat of silence and then Shisui made a small noise.

"I–it's just, sex is fine, but I don't see the big deal about it? It's very underwhelming."

She looked up and Shisui was giving her a considering look. Calculating, almost. She swallowed. The intensity of his gaze was piercing. She felt flayed open before his very eyes. No one has ever looked at her like that before.

"Maybe your boyfriend just sucks," Shisui told her and Sakura scowled.

"What, as if you can do any better?" She sniped and Shisui's grin widened until it was half his face. She blanched.

"None of my women leave unsatisfied," he promised and winked. "What's the harm in trying?"

Her face burned and she stared at him in disbelief. Was he serious? Was he really propositioning her in the waiting room of their mutual sex therapist? Well, a voice inside her head mused. At least he was going into this fully aware of our hang-ups with sex.

The door to the therapist's office opened and a woman strode out, smiling back at the doctor. Sakura glanced back at Shisui who was still giving her a small smile.

"Haruno," came the lazy drawl from the office.

Screw it.

Sakura reached into her bag and tore out a scrap from her receipt earlier. She wrote down her number.

"Call me," she said airily, forcing a casualness she definitely didn't feel. Shisui's eyes widened, his features lighting up wholeheartedly as he accepted the piece of paper as if he was receiving a gift from the gods themselves.

"I will," Shisui promised.

OMAKE

(1 week later)

"So," Doctor Hatake started as he leaned back into his chair. "How many times have you had sex this week, Shisui?"

Shisui smirked. "25, give or take."

Hatake's eyebrow raised. "I thought you were cutting down. 25 different women?"

"Nope," Shisui chirped, popping the p, smugness practically radiating off him. "Just one."


	3. ShikaSakuNeji, Compersion

prompt: ShikaSakuNeji

* * *

Compersion: the feeling of joy one has when experiencing another's joy.

"You're so lazy," Sakura laughs breathlessly. She shifts from her seat on Neji's lap, her arms resting lightly where they're wrapped around his neck. Neji only chuckles into her shoulder, his lips curving into a smirk as his hands make a heated trail up and down her sides.

"Maybe I just like to watch," Shikamaru drawls from beside them. Sakura turns her head to give him a coy smile, her eyes appreciative as they drag down his body. He's on his side and his head is propped up on his hand, his hair loose and out of its usual tie. He's pressed up close to them, his leg a solid line against Neji's and the heat of his body warming Sakura's. His other hand is resting easily on Neji's thigh, the tan of his skin a contrast against the paleness of Neji's.

"Voyeur," Neji says dryly in response, and Sakura's laugh turns into a gasp when Neji spreads her legs open even further, his hands pressing into her inner thighs. So close yet so far from where she wants him.

"Can you blame him?" Sakura mock whispers as she rocks against Neji, her nails digging into his shoulder and her body a languid curve. Neji groans. His grip on her tightens, a reminder of how close his fingers are, and it only serves to send a frisson of heat up her spine. Fuck. "We look good together."

"You do," Shikamaru agrees easily. His eyes are half-lidded, a heated glint in them that makes Sakura's throat dry.

Neji gives him a side eye, his gaze hot on Shikamaru as he starts to kiss down Sakura's chest. Sakura arches her back, pressing her breasts against Neji's mouth with a stifled gasp. Her hands slip into the long tresses of his hair, the strands thick and soft between her fingers. Neji bites her nipple and the twinge of pain races all the way down her spine, her center throbbing and aching. She rocks down on the firm length pressing up against her and Neji's eyes slip closed as he groans.

His fingers brush against her and Sakura's grip tightens around his hair. "Neji," she rasps, "Please touch me."

Neji obeys, his fingers sliding over her wetness, easy as anything. When he slips in two of his delicate, long fingers, Sakura can't help but moan and clench around them, the stretch so good, yet not enough. She presses down on his crotch and grips tight on his shoulders, her fingernails digging into muscle and tendon.

He curls his fingers, and Neji's always been good with his hands. He rubs her just right, just exactly where she wants, and not for the first time, Sakura wonders if his Byakugan can see inside of her and pinpoint all the spots she likes to be touched.

She rests her head on his shoulder and lets out a loud, unapologetic moan, her hips grinding and gyrating on his hand.

"More, please, Neji," she whines. Neji nips at the skin of her neck, his teeth scraping and sending bolts of lightning down her body.

A touch on Sakura's lower back gets her attention and she looks up, her gaze meeting dark ones full of promise

"Look who got off their lazy ass," Sakura laughs and Neji's lips quirk. Shikamaru rolls his eyes, but there's an amused tilt to his lips that's much more telling. This is their game, after all. A tease and a performance, just to see how long Shikamaru can keep up his facade of being too lazy to join. It's always been a challenge for the two of them, and Neji and Sakura have always made it a point to go above and beyond people's expectations.

They rearrange themselves, Sakura's back to Shikamaru's chest, her legs spread wide over his thighs as she looks up at Neji expectantly. Shikamaru drops his head on her shoulder, his lips pressing light kisses over her neck, her jaw, everywhere he can reach. Neji slides between her legs with the ease and grace the Hyuuga are known for and lines himself up.

Their eyes catch. Sakura smiles up at Neji.

Neji had sworn to them long ago in the cover of night, the time of secrets and whispers. He would never bring a child into a world where they'd have to live underneath subjugation. For as long as the cruel branding of branch members existed, any child of theirs would be a Nara in both blood and name.

He slides inside of her and Sakura can't help but groan at the stretch and the feel of his thickness slipping in, inch by inch, even as her walls clench around him. From behind her, Shikamaru is a steady anchor, holding her in his embrace as he murmurs sweet nothings into her ear, his face pressed up against her temple. She holds onto his arms wrapped around her waist, her eyes slipping closed.

She leans her head back on Shikamaru's shoulder and is treated to the sight of Neji's face scrunching up in pleasure. Neji leans in, going deeper inside of her, and Sakura smiles as he and Shikamaru share a quick kiss over her shoulder.

"That's it," Shikamaru murmurs into his mouth, "You know she likes it a little rougher than that, Hyuuga."

Neji responds to the challenge as he always does, and of course, Sakura is blessed enough to be on the end of his attention. She holds on to Shikamaru, her moans filling the air as Neji moves, everything about him solid and strong.

Shikamaru's hand moves down her stomach to where she and Neji are connected and rubs at her clit, tight little circles that send her gasping for air. Her pelvis is twitching, her whole body unsure of where to go and whether to buck up or away from the intense sensations.

She tries to close her legs, overwhelmed by the degree of pleasure that just keeps coming and coming, but Neji's hands move to her knees. He grasps them, holding them up, and his strong grip keeps her spread open and to the mercy of their double assault. She can't get away no matter how hard she struggles and the pleasure is building up once more, her stomach tight and her moans increasing in pitch and strength.

She finishes with a strangled scream, her vision whiting out, her whole being trembling in their embrace.

When she comes to, Neji and Shikamaru are kissing opposite sides of her neck, soft and gentle, until their lips meet in a lazy kiss. A simple slide of lips and tongue that Sakura watches with half-lidded eyes. She understands now why Shikamaru likes to watch her and Neji get it on, and why even Neji gets something out of seeing her and Shikamaru together.

It's the joy of seeing her two partners happy, of seeing them find pleasure in each other, even without her. Sakura… has always been a jealous sort of girl, the envy and distaste of seeing her teammates' backs have pushed her forward after all. She has never liked being left behind or being the odd one out, but this?

This is different. Sakura can't find any fault in Neji and Shikamaru taking pleasure and loving each other.

She reaches out, and her two lovers part and smile at her. They reach back.

After all, Sakura only needs to ask.


	4. ShiSaku, midnight

**ShiSaku**

prompt: ShiSaku, any genre you want. "It's midnight, what do you want?" "I think I know how to use a bed."

* * *

"What do you think you're doing?" The moment Shisui slipped into the sheets and wrapped an arm around her waist, Sakura's hand was tight around his wrist, bordering on the edge of bruising and painful. Shisui winced and Sakura loosened it minutely, just enough for it to only be uncomfortable.

"It's midnight, what do you want?"

"Look, I can hear you moving around from the couch. I'm helping you out." True, he hadn't really been sleeping on the couch like Sakura ordered him to, and he had been standing outside their bedroom door for the past 10 minutes like a fucking creep just listening to Sakura shift and turn and move around in their bed, but that was semantics.

Sakura was silent and Shisui waited patiently. Slowly, her grip loosened on his arm and she let go.

"I think I know how to use a bed." Her harsh tone was offset by the way she moved, shifting closer to him anyway until her back was pressed up snug to his chest. Shisui hid his grin into her hair, his hand curling around her waist to slip up under her shirt and splay his fingers over her stomach.

She ignored him, vehemently almost, her shoulders ridiculously tense. Gently, Shisui stroked at her stomach, his fingers tracing shapes against smooth skin. Once or twice, they passed over the thin scar from Sasori's sword, the texture of it different on his fingertips.

"I'm not in the mood," Sakura grumbled half-heartedly, her hand coming up to rest over Shisui's. He stilled in his motions and smiled. Unconsciously, Sakura linked their fingers together.

"Alright."

There's silence, their quiet breathing the only sound in the room. Sakura shifted against him, squirming slightly, her ass pressed up right against him and Shisui's lip twitched.

"You sure you're not in the mood?" He teased, chuckling slightly as he pressed a kiss to her temple.

"Shut up!" Sakura whined and stopped squirming, her body stiff.

Shisui laughed and Sakura twisted in the circle of his arms to face him. Shisui's smile softened as their eyes met. A pout was drawing Sakura's lips downwards, and Shisui wanted nothing more than to lean down and kiss her. And so he did.

Sakura's lips were firm against his, unrelenting and stubborn, her jaw tight under his. But when Shisui reached up to cup her cheek and tilt her head to the side, nipping slightly at her bottom lip, she melted against him. She pressed up close to his chest, her warmth seeping into the coldness of his bones and Shisui sighed in contentment.

"I'm still mad at you," she grumbled as she pulled away, and Shisui's chuckle was muffled against her lips.

"Sure, sure."


	5. SasuSaku, daddy

prompt: SasuSaku, daddy kink

* * *

"Daddy, can you pass the salt?"

Sakura sees the next few seconds happen in slow motion.

Her dad and Sasuke reach out for the salt at the same time, and then Sasuke freezes.

Her dad follows suit, his hand posed awkwardly over the table.

There's silence. Kizashi stares at Sasuke, his expression unreadable, before he turns his gaze on Sakura. Sakura's face is flaming red, her eyes wide and a look of utmost horror painting her features.

Her mom, god her mom, only looks amused and on the verge of laughter.

Kizashi clears his throat and then grabs the salt, depositing it in front of Sakura. He doesn't meet her eyes. It's okay. Sakura's not even looking at him, she's too busy dying inside. She will never live this down, her mom would never let her forget it.

The comfortable silence from earlier is gone. All that's left is the awkwardness and her mom's stifled giggles.

Sakura hits him the moment they're in his car.

"I can't believe it!" she whines and covers her face. "How could you do this to me?"

Sasuke's lips quirk and he smirks at her, hand on the wheel and the other making its way high up her thigh, his fingers squeezing at supple flesh.

"Daddy will make it up to you, sweetheart," he murmurs, voice low and sensual. Sakura looks up at him, her eyes wide and a flush on her cheeks.

"Okay," she chokes out and Sasuke eyes her, his gaze a heated slide over her body and full of hot promise. He looks back at the road. The smirk stays on his lips.

* * *

for a longer sasusaku daddy kink, check out _oh, baby_ in my profile.


	6. SasuSaku, he loves mehe loves me not

Back when Sakura was younger, when things were easier and her biggest problem was how to get Sasuke to notice her, she used to keep tally marks on Sasuke.

It started with flowers. Her and Ino in her parents' shop, flowers in their hands as they plucked out the petals. _He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not_. The day they find out that they both like the same boy, Sakura leaves the flowers behind, but the concept she keeps.

HE LOVES ME and HE LOVES ME NOT, two little mental columns over the years in the Academy and their brief time as genin before everything went to shit. Even after he had abandoned Konoha, her mind still worked in tallies of everything he did. She was a paper ninja, after all, and any intelligence she could get was her friend.

Every time he called her annoying was another scratch in HE LOVES ME NOT, each mark painful in her heart. Every time he rejected her offers to train together or go on a date, Inner Sakura dutifully kept track, and every time, Sakura convinced herself that someday, love would prevail over all.

Every time he stood in front of her, blocking and defending attacks meant for her, Sakura blushed and added a mark in HE LOVES ME, even if a part of her yearned to be able to fight back for herself. It was okay, she told herself, it means he cares about me, it means he doesn't want me to be hurt. She likes him defending her, she tells herself, and sometimes she believes it.

Every time he let her prattle on and talk about herself without interrupting her, even if it was just him tolerating her babbling, she added a tentative mark in HE LOVES ME. Momma always told her that a man who listened to her cared, and so Sasuke must care, right?

When the Chuunin Exams start, Sakura knows she isn't ready but she can't not go, not if it means disappointing Sasuke and even Naruto and Kakashi-sensei. And so she goes, even with the doubt in her heart, and when they reach the second floor and she notices what's off and then Sasuke compliments her on noticing the genjutsu, she beams to herself in pride and adds another mark to the sadly lacking tallies on HE LOVES ME.

And then they're thrust into the forest and…

"Sakura… Who did this to you?"

She adds a tally mark on HE LOVES ME, even if part of her was cringing in fear at the sight of the black marks spreading across the body, the anger that he was practically radiating and the Killing Intent that was leaking from his pores.

But the sight of him like that was unbearable.

She asks him to stop and he does, her arms wrapped around him, and even with all the shit they've been through today, Inner Sakura proudly adds a mark down HE LOVES ME. She feels dumb about it, big things are happening around her and she's such a child with her tallies and her marks. But the habit is long ingrained in her and no one has to know, so she does it anyway.

But then Sasuke leaves.

Sakura thinks about the way he said thank you, and a part of her wavers, before she decisively puts another tally in HE LOVES ME NOT. She counts it over, finally sees how naïve and dumb she was, how HE LOVES ME NOT overpowers and overwhelms HE LOVES ME in every single way that counts.

He does not love her, she thinks, but she still loves him.

And that's supposed to be the last of it, the tally marks the last remnants of her childhood crush. She has more important things to do, healing jutsu to learn, people to save. For two years she does not see him, and whoever came up with 'out of sight, out of mind' obviously knows nothing, because for two years she thinks about him and yearns for him to come back.

When he does finally come back, Sakura is at a loss. Her interactions with him used to be guided on HE LOVES ME and HE LOVES ME NOT, but after years of him trying to kill her, her trying to kill him, them working together and then her healing him and Naruto after their dumb fight to the death, it feels wrong to just try to slot his behavior into two simple lists. It's more complicated than that.

Her tally list is long gone, but a part of her still thinks about it. She doesn't quite know if he loves her and she doesn't dare hope. None of her old rules apply anymore, and more and more Sakura is realizing just how flawed her tallies are.

He doesn't stand in front of her anymore, doesn't parry and block hits meant for her without even giving her a chance to fight for herself. These days, he lets her fight, and they fight back to back. He believes in her strength and her capability to stand on her two feet and it means more to her than any baddie he's ever defended her from. They spar against each other and he doesn't demean her, doesn't call her weak, only gives her stilted tips to improve that she takes to heart. She doesn't know if he loves her, but he believes in her.

Sometimes Naruto says something dumb and Sakura replies and they fight in that playful sort of way born out of years of comfortable back and forth, and Sasuke will look at them and shake his head. Sometimes she'll push him to take his medicine or to go to physical therapy for his arm, and he'll sigh. Sometimes, when it's late at night and all three of them are lying down peacefully quiet for once, she'll say something and he'll huff out a small breath of air before he calls her annoying. She wavers and wonders if that would be a mark on HE LOVES ME NOT on a board that doesn't exist anymore, but she swears that the way he says it is with fond amusement.

These days, he still lets her babble on and on about herself, but this time, when she asks or when there's a lull in her speech, he talks about himself. Little bits of information at a time, nothing big, just how his mother used to buy him tomatoes, or how his cousin Shisui was so annoying, or the way his father patted his head when he did a good job. Every single time Sakura finds herself staring at him wide-eyed, not wanting to push but wanting to hear more. It's not what he's saying that shocks her, although she loves hearing about him, it's the fact that he's telling her out of his own free will. She doesn't know if he loves her, but he trusts her.

When he leaves, she says goodbye and it hurts, but she smiles and lets him go. She knows that this time he'll come back. And when he does, he drops by her apartment and takes her out. Sometimes just the two of them if Naruto isn't around, but usually it's the three of them, or four, if Naruto brings along Hinata.

She takes a chance on one of these days when they're seeing him off, and she asks if she can come along with him. No one is more surprised than her when he actually says yes.

 _Oh_ , she thinks.

She smiles at him and they go. They walk side by side.

For the first time, she doesn't have to wonder whether or not he loves her.


	7. NaruSaku, let's get this over with

"Wanna fuck?" Sakura asked bluntly and Naruto choked. He coughed, pulling his arm away from her shoulders and wheezed slightly as he looked up at her with wide eyes.

"Excuse me?" He squeaked. She looked up at him, eyes innocent.

"I asked, do you want to fuck?" Sakura repeated herself, each word clearly enunciated and leaving no room for misinterpretation.

Naruto gaped. "I–yes?" He said uncertainly, and then again, more confidently, "Yes."

Sakura nodded and then closed the scroll in her hands. She stood up gracefully and started to walk away. Naruto watched her go, blinking, a little lost. She stopped a few steps away and turned back to face him, her eyebrow raised.

"Are you coming?"

Naruto's jaw closed with a click and he quickly scrambled off the couch to follow her.

"Sakura-chan," he said, reaching out for her arm. "Where's this coming from?"

She stopped, and then looked down at his grip on her upper arm, an inscrutable expression on her face. She made a face and then looked up to meet his eyes.

"Don't you want to fuck me?" she asked. She held her chin high in challenge, eyebrows set, but there was an edge of insecurity and fear in her tone, as if she was scared he was going to say no and reject her.

Naruto blinked at her incredulously, still confused and disbelieving, and let go of her arm. He opened his mouth, ready to protest—about what, he didn't quite know, but then, she pulled away from him and then without breaking eye contact, proceeded to unzip her shirt.

The protests died on his lips, his jaw becoming slack as he watched her fingers make its way down her chest, revealing inch by inch her bare skin and the bindings around her breasts. She shrugged it off her shoulders and tossed it to the side. She raised an eyebrow.

Naruto's mouth dried and he swallowed.

"Okay, let's go," he said in a rush and grabbed her by the waist, grinning at her startled squeak. He brought them to his room and kicked the door shut. He turned them around and pressed her up against it.

"You sure?" he asked, a little breathless as he stared down at her. She scowled.

"Stop talking, start fucking." She wrapped her fingers around the locks at the back of his head and yanked him down into a deep and dirty kiss.

Naruto whimpered, his grip tightening around her before he let her fall into his bed, their bodies melding in ways he only dreamed of.

His hands traced up her sides, slightly unsure and confused that he was actually allowed to touch her like this. He hesitated, fingers hovering over the bindings of her breast. She made the decision for him and decisively unwrapped it from her chest until she was bare in front of him.

"Oh," Naruto breathed as he stared down at her naked breasts. It's not the first he's seen, not after countless Sexy no Jutsu's and all of Ero Sennin's 'research', but this was different. This was Sakura. Sakura reddened and for once, the confidence and aggressiveness that she's been displaying was gone.

"Why are you just staring?" she demanded defensively and Naruto laughed. He leaned in to kiss her again, his hands roving up to her chest to touch and feel the curves of her breasts, the weight of them in his palm, how her nipples felt against his thumb.

"You're beautiful," he whispered and Sakura squirmed, looking away.

"Don't you think they're a little small?" she asked and Naruto blinked.

"Well–" At the look on her face he quickly shook his head, laughing again nervously. "No! Of course not! They're perfect!"

"Good," Sakura grumbled, huffing slightly.

"I've wanted you for so long," he admitted and Sakura's eyes darted upwards to meet his. "I can't quite believe this is happening."

She grinned, all teeth. "Believe it." She winked at him and Naruto giggled in surprise. He couldn't help but press a quick kiss to her lips again and she laughed into it. When he pulled away, the expression on her face was different, a little intense and full of purpose.

Next thing he knew Sakura was flipping them over until Naruto was flat on his back. He blinked up at her in surprise and looked down to where her thighs were around his waist, her crotch on his stomach. He could feel the heat of her on his abdomen through her shorts and the heat rose up to his cheeks even as blood rushed down.

"Sakura-chan…" he murmured and Sakura bit her lip. She spread her hands out on his chest.

"You're not a virgin, right?" Sakura asked him quietly and Naruto's lips parted in surprise.

"Um. No," he lied and Sakura seemed to relax, her shoulders loosening. "Why, are you?"

Her expression changed and she glared at him, an expression he was much more familiar with from her. "None of your business," she grumbled. She took in a deep breath and then moved her hips back until she was sitting right on top of his dick.

Naruto whimpered, his hands automatically grabbing on to her waist.

"I–um, foreplay," he stuttered out, his eyes wide and his grip tightening on her hips.

"Oh," Sakura said, nodding slightly. "Yes, I knew that."

She rose up on her knees and threw her leg off him. Naruto watched in stunned silence as she shimmied down her underwear and then promptly threw it to the side.

"Uh." His mind was blank. He was at a total loss for words, his eyes zeroed in on the pink tuft of hair in between her legs. He honestly didn't know what he expected.

"Take it off," Sakura hissed, tugging on his underwear. Naruto gulped and did an awkward wiggle as he tried to take it off, his hips raised. Sakura helped him, both of them nervously laughing.

"Okay," Naruto breathed, grinning slightly once they were both naked. Sakura nodded along with him.

"Okay," she repeated.

They looked at each other, faces red, just a little sweaty.

"Do you want me to…?" Naruto trailed off as he motioned towards her general lower area a little helplessly. Was he allowed to look? He was, right?

She looked away and nodded.

"Okay," Naruto said, and then promptly winced. Was that really all he had to say? "Lie down?"

Sakura nodded again and lied down on her back, her eyes following him as he laid down beside her, wiggling uncomfortably. He wasn't sure what position he was supposed to be in. All those nights spent editing Icha Icha couldn't have prepared him for this.

"Can we just kiss for a little bit more?" he found himself asking and Sakura blinked. She frowned.

"Sure," she said quietly and gave him a tight smile. Naruto looked at her uncertainly. Did he say something wrong? Before he could dwell on it more Sakura reached out, her hand on the back of his neck, and then pulled him down into an easy kiss.

It was different this time with both of them bare, nothing in between their bodies. He pulled away, breathing heavy and his dick aching against her pressed his forehead on to her shoulder and closed his eyes, trying to will his heart rate to go slower. God… He's been wondering and dreaming and fantasizing about getting to have Sakura for so long, and to finally have had her–to finally have been able to love her in the way he has always wanted, he just couldn't believe it. A part of him wondered if he was, in fact, stuck in a dream.

Sakura hiccupped underneath him, a choked out gasp and he immediately shot up to stare down at her in surprise.

"Did I hurt you? Are you okay?"

She stared at him, blinking rapidly, tears brimming at the corners of her eyes.

"No," she said, and then promptly burst into tears.

Naruto flailed helplessly, full of energy with no direction or idea with where to even start.

"Wah, I'm sorry!" He touched her frantically, hands patting over her shoulders and her hair and her face, little bits of comfort that he could at least offer even if he felt like he wasn't helping at all. Was this normal? Were girls supposed to cry after sex? No? Sakura only continued to cry, her face buried into her hands, breath hitching and catching, her shoulders shaking with her tears.

"It's not–it's not your fault," Sakura choked out, her voice breaking over every other syllable, and the pain in it was so clear that Naruto was blown, so filled with the desperate need to make things better. But how could he make it better when he didn't even know what the problem was?

"What's wrong?" He whispered, hands firm on her shoulders and Sakura shook her head frantically, her pink locks hitting him.

"I like you," Sakura sobbed, "A lot."

Naruto gaped at her.

"What?" He asked dimly.

Sakura immediately shook her head again, her grip tight against his arms. No chakra at all to enhance it, but still tight enough to cause a twinge of pain. Naruto winced.

"Don't," she blubbered, "Don't tell me you don't have feelings for me anymore–I know, okay!"

"Sakura…" Naruto said, a frown on his features and Sakura shook her head again stubbornly.

"Don't," she insisted a little helplessly, hiccupping again, and the threat of another onslaught of tears kept Naruto from pushing even if he wanted to help her, yell at someone or fight something or do anything!

"I'll be fine," Sakura whispered, nodding slightly to herself. The steel in her eyes was there, just barely, but still very much there. "I'll be fine," she repeated, and Naruto didn't know who she was trying to convince. "Just fuck me and let me have this."

"But I do!" Naruto finally blurted out. "I do still love you! I've never stopped loving you!"

"What?" Sakura said in disbelief. "But–you don't ask me out anymore, and, and you're always with Hinata and I thought this was my last chance to have you and–"

"I thought you didn't like it when I asked you out," Naruto whined, dropping his head. He pressed up close against her and Sakura immediately accommodated him.

"That's what I thought," Sakura moaned, covering her face. "But I missed it, and I realized too late that I do actually like you!"

"No!" Naruto interrupted, a grin spreading on his lips. "You're not too late, at all!"

She peeked up at him through her fingers, her green eyes wide. He beamed back at her and took her hands in his to press a kiss to them.

"You're just in time."

Sakura reddened and then she swatted his arm, shaking her head in embarrassment. "You're so corny, shut up," she muttered and Naruto giggled.

"So, I'm not actually ready to have sex," Sakura admitted and Naruto nodded easily.

"Same," he said sheepishly and rubbed at the back of his head. "I lied. I've never done this before."

Sakura glared at him but there was no real heat to it, just a fondness that made Naruto's insides warm. He smiled helplessly back at her.

"We can… kiss?" Sakura suggested and Naruto immediately nodded before he dropped back down.

"That, we can do."


	8. shikasaku, patron goddess

He has known her his whole life.

The day he was born, as per tradition, his parents brought him to the edge of the Nara Forest. They knelt down and offered him up to the deer and the forest spirits that lived inside.

She had come then, dressed in the greens and browns of the Nara, her pink hair stark against the muted colors, and she had smiled. She didn't always appear when Nara came and offered up their children once they were born or once they reached of age, but for the future clan heir, it was just as much tradition for her as it was for them.

She had leaned down to his parents kneeling prostate and reached out for him. They let her carry him in her arms, trusting their patron to do no harm and to only have goodwill. She took care of them. She was the one who had taught them the art of medicine, had protected from outsiders and kept the forest thriving. She was the light their shadows thrived from. Why would they worry about her holding him in her arms, when she held the whole clan in her hands?

She shared a smile with his father and then took his son from him into the forest, into the shadows, the deer trailing behind her.

No one quite knew what she did with the Nara babies, no one remembered it after all, even with their extraordinary memory and intelligence. All his mother and father could do was kneel at the edge of her forest and wait for her to return, hours later, to the triumphant pride of his clan. And once she returned with him in her arms, his parents simple took him back from her until he came of age.

At 10, his father determined him old enough. It was a ceremony once more because he was still the clan head's son, the heir of the Nara clan, and every occasion was worth a celebration even if he outwardly complained about the trouble. At 10, he waited at the edge of the forest alone and clothed only in the simplest of their tunics.

Sometimes, she didn't come, and let the Nara child fend for himself, all the more stronger for it, even as she watched in the shadows and through the eyes of the deer. Sometimes, it was the deer that came and wrapped their bodies around the Nara child, kept him warm through the nights and kept him company for the days that they stayed in the forest.

For Shikamaru, she came.

For 7 days and 7 nights, Shikamaru stayed with her. For 7 nights, he slept in the embrace of the darkest shadows until they knew him as one of their own, and until he knew it as a part of him. And always, always, she stayed by his side, gentle and patient as he adjusted and learned his own shadow.

He has been learning their clan jutsus for awhile now, and he knew the theory of it inside and out, but it was nothing like giving in and letting the shadows wrap around you, to trust in it, to control it fully.

He entered the forest a child, and came out not as a man, no, but one step closer.

At 17, his father died in the War. There was nothing official yet, and Shikamaru didn't spare any more than a passing thought for it, but he was very much aware that he was the Nara Clan Head now as soon as they went through the ceremony. He didn't dwell on it. There were plans to make and things to fight and after… After the War was over, he planned to deal with it.

At 19, his mom finally handed the reigns to the Nara Clan over to him. She had run it for a year after the war, Shikamaru shadowing her (pun intended) to learn the ins and outs of how to manage a Clan by himself. He had thought that he knew what to do after having seen his father do it for the better part of his life, but the reality of watching over a hundred of his clansmen, both civilian and shinobi, was much more complex.

And now, she had finally determined him ready.

His kin had come to escort him to the edge of the forest once more. It has been almost a decade since he has last spent a night in its heart but Shikamaru still knew it as well as the back of his hand. And he knew what–or who, was waiting for him inside of it.

Shikamaru took in a deep breath, uncharacteristically nervous. With his clan beside him, he knelt down at the very lip and then pressed his forehead into the dirt. Waiting.

If she accepted him as the Nara Clan Head, she would come.

Seconds, minutes, he didn't know how much time had passed, his senses in tune with what was around him. He could feel the chakra signatures of his clan, could hear the rustling of the leaves, the crunch of it on the ground. At the very edge he could sense even the deer inside the forest, just as much his as his kin.

For a moment, Shikamaru was scared that she would not come.

Only for a moment. Soon enough, Shikamaru felt the shadows around him shift and move, converging in a single point. He kept his head down, barely breathing as he waited for the thin shadow to stretch out from the center of the forest and touch his. He swallowed.

His body moved without his control, smooth and steady, until he was standing up. He let it. He didn't fight the shadows' control on him, his legs moving forward until he was walking to the heart of the forest. Behind him, his clan waited.

As he walked, the shadows of the forest became denser and darker, enveloping him and greeting him like a prodigal son that had finally come home. The deer watched him quietly, their eyes tracking his journey. Slowly, it came to the point that it was so dark, Shikamaru couldn't even tell the difference between his eyes closed or open.

And then finally, his legs stopped moving without his permission.

He exhaled, the sound of it loud in the silence.

"Nara Shikamaru," a voice hummed in amusement. Shikamaru almost jumped in surprise, every inch of his control locking down his body from moving.

"Sakura-sama," Shikamaru greeted quietly. He tensed as he felt her move even closer towards him, the scent of her filling the space between them, floral and sweet and a hint of what made the Nara forest.

There was a sudden pressure on his mouth and Shikamaru's lips parted in surprise, his eyes widening even if he could see nothing at all.

"Are you alright?" she murmured as she pulled away, her breath hot on his face.

"Yes," Shikamaru whispered back. Anything louder would sound out of place in the quiet of the grove. He felt her hands come up to wrap around his neck and this time, when she pressed herself up close to him, her lips meeting his, Shikamaru was more prepared.

He kissed her back, a little disbelieving that he was kissing a goddess. His goddess. The Nara Clan's patron. Sakura made an approving noise into his mouth. A green glow lit up the darkness and Shikamaru startled, blinking down at her in shock as tendrils spread from the diamond on her forehead, glowing lines going down her face and her arms.

Around them, the shadows swirled and danced, their only source her light. It was only now that Shikamaru finally understood what it meant when they said she was the light the Nara Clan's shadows thrived from. Had his father seen this too? Had every Clan Head been blessed with this sight?

She smiled up at him and reached up to the yukata draped lovingly over her frame. She stripped, the cloth falling down her shoulders, revealing inch by inch her bare skin still aglow from the lines.

He swallowed, desire starting to burn in the pit of his stomach. She was beautiful. Her pink locks framed her features, her body soft yet strong, feminine but wiry and lean with strength. Her breasts were a beautiful curve on her chest, the glowing lines in between and around them, accentuating them to his gaze.

She reached out to him, her hands soft as they stripped him of his simple clothes. These were healer hands, yet the calluses spoke of a warrior. She was an anomaly, a goddess full of contradictions.

His yukata fell and pooled around his feet in the dirt. He spared a thought to hope that it wouldn't be dirty. He'd have to wear it back to meet his clan after all.

"May the Nara prosper," Sakura smiled at him.

"May the Nara prosper," Shikamaru echoed.


	9. sasusaku, a girl i used to love

It was a mistake, she knew it was, but she couldn't help it. He was there, just as handsome as ever, and she wanted him and burned for him like she used to.

No…

The fire she used to feel for him when she was younger was nothing like this, nothing like the want deep in her gut and between her thighs that she could feel, her gaze hungry and heated as she traced the lines of his shoulders, his back, and his hands.

It's been years since she's seen him, but the passion hasn't dulled at all, only deepened and matured into this all-consuming lust. Her love for him used to be innocent, but watching him now, seeing just how much he's grown and how attractive he is now… What she feels for him is the farthest thing from innocent.

And so when he approaches her, expression cool and confident, his eyes tracing up and down her figure with interest but no recognition, she lets him.

When he offers to buy her a drink, she lets him.

When he flirts with her, touches her with little fleeting, heated touches against her arms and her wrist and the small of her back, fire burning in its wake all the way down to in between her thighs, she lets him.

And when Uchiha Sasuke asks if he can take her home, she says yes.

They fall into bed, and they're both a little drunk and a little sloppy. It's not quite what Sakura has been dreaming about and wishing, but it's good, and it's Sasuke, and isn't that what matters?

After, Sasuke collapses beside her and Sakura can only stare up at the ceiling wide-eyed.

"You remind me of a girl," Sasuke murmurs drowsily. His breath is hot against the back of her neck, the smell strong with alcohol, and the skin on her hip where his hand rests is burning hot. Sakura shifts against him, swallowing down how needy she still feels inside even if her body was sated and content.

"Yeah?" She whispers.

"Yeah…" Sasuke breathes, words coming slow and thick like syrup. "In fifth grade…"

Sakura stiffens. Sasuke doesn't notice as he nuzzles the skin behind her ear, the rise and fall of his chest behind her back deepening and lengthening as he nears the edge of sleep.

"Sakura," he sighs.

Sakura stares into his dark room, her eyes wide and her heartbeat loud in her ears.

She had never told him her name.

"Really." Her voice is a forced calm and she can only hope that he doesn't notice how tense she is.

"Mhmm," Sasuke mumbles in response. "Had a crush on her…she moved away."

Sakura swallows. She can feel her face turning red, her mouth opening and closing in disbelief. He must be mocking her. He must know who she really was, and he was playing a game on her because she had practically been in love with him then. Had he known the whole time?

She licks her suddenly dry lips.

"You were kind of an asshole then to her," she says casually.

Sasuke hums in sleepy agreement. A moment passes, and then suddenly his arm around her waist tightens to an almost painful degree.

"What." His voice is flat, all vestiges of sleep and warmth gone from it. He was awake and aware once more.

She turns abruptly to face him, her jaw tight.

"That is my name," she says, hushed.

Sasuke's eyes slide open and he stares at her, still blinking blearily. A few moments of tense silence passes before he pulls away, clarity coming back into his gaze as he narrows his eyes at her.

"Haruno Sakura?" Sasuke asks. Sakura swallows.

"Yes."

Sasuke continues to stare at her, his eyes darting over her features, her pink hair. Self conscious, Sakura reaches up in between them to touch her short pink locks and bites the inside of her cheek.

"I dyed my hair," she confesses awkwardly. She can guess why he was staring so intently at her hair.

"Aa."

"Yeah…"

"Well," Sasuke says. "Awkward."


	10. izusaku, trigger

"I'm not who you think I am," Izuna told her. At his serious tone, Sakura immediately put down the tablet she had been poking around with. She stared at him, meeting his eerily intense gaze. She broke into a smile.

"I don't care what you are, as long as what I am is yours," Sakura murmured. She turned fully towards him, tucking her legs up underneath her as she reached up to run her hands through his hair before she pulled him in closer towards her. She pressed a gentle kiss on his lips and Izuna melted into her, his eyes slipping closed in surrender.

Their lips parted, but Izuna kept their foreheads pressed together, his breathing slowly evening out.

"You are…" he whispered, his hands gripping her hands as he pressed them closer towards his face, nuzzling into it. "The greatest blessing."

Sakura's lips curled into a sweet smile. She couldn't help but lean in and kiss him once more, their bodies melding together as if they couldn't bear to be separated.

xxx

"This would be of interest to you." A file was slid across the table, photos flying out of it. Izuna's eyes narrowed and he reached out to pick up the photo nearest to him.

His face was blank, but slowly, his face started to morph into a monstrous mask, his nostrils flaring, his teeth baring, his shoulders shaking with tightly controlled anger. He crumpled the photo in his hand, a tightly clenched fist that he banged on the table.

His eyes were molten fire.

Without a word, he pulled the file closer towards him and flicked through the photos, his expression turning stormier with each shot.

With a roar of rage, he threw the photos off the desk, sweeping off everything on top. A loud crash sounded through the room, pens and paperweights clattering, glass breaking and flying off the floor.

He clenched his fists against the table, his shoulders heaving and his jaw tight.

Zetsu smiled.

xxx

"Have you heard of the Uchiha Clan?" Izuna asked, trailing his fingers down her back. Sakura hummed thoughtfully as she tossed her hair back, meeting his eyes over her shoulder.

"I used to have this huge crush on this Uchiha I used to be classmates with," she confided cheekily and Izuna scowled. She laughed at his expression and reached out to smooth over the pinch of his brow.

"But," she added, tone taking on a playful twinge, "There's this other Uchiha I'm quite in love with now."

Izuna sighed even if inwardly, he couldn't help but be pleased.

"I mean the Uchiha Yakuza," he said seriously, and Sakura laughed. Izuna didn't join her.

Her giggles abruptly cut off and she stared at him in shock. "Wait, what? You're not serious, are you?"

His lips thinned. He reached out to hold her hand, squeezing it in between his. He bent down his head to press a kiss to her knuckles and exhaled noisily.

"Let me tell you about my family."

Sakura swallowed. "Tell me everything," she whispered.

xxx

"Izuna," Madara said carefully, slowly reaching out. Izuna slapped his hand away and glared at him furiously.

"How dare you to tell me to calm down!" Izuna seethed, his hands shaking. He was still holding on to the photo that he had presented to Madara, the proof of Sakura's betrayal. "The Senju killed so much of our clan—our own brothers, dead at their hands!"

"The Senju are no longer our enemies," Madara tried once more to soothe his brother's anger, but Izuna couldn't hear it, too focused on his rage.

Izuna laughed bitterly and shook his head as he sent a hateful look towards his brother.

"They may not be our enemies, but they will never be our friends."

"I've lost so much," Izuna murmured into her neck and Sakura reached up to a smooth a hand down his long hair, her fingers tangling into the ends.

"You will never lose me," Sakura vowed. "I'm yours forever."

"Please," Izuna whispered, a plea into the heavens for a god he didn't believe in. He couldn't bear to lose Sakura.

"I love you," Sakura whispered, and Izuna fell into her.

"I love you too, anata."

xxx

"I trusted you," Izuna snarled and Sakura flinched.

"Please," she begged, "Izuna, I swear, I don't know what you're talking about, I—"

"No!" Izuna clutched his hand to his head. "You're just going to fill my head with more lies."

"Izuna," Sakura repeated helplessly, reaching out to grasp him in a desperate plea.

Izuna slapped her hand away and slammed the photos in between them, his eyes wild and his nostrils flared.

Sakura looked down at the photo of her, Senju Tsunade and Tobirama having dinner together. Her face paled. She reached out with shaky hands to flip through the photos, pictures of her and Tobirama shaking hands, of an envelope being passed, of Tsunade's hand on her shoulder as she drank. And even as vindication filled Izuna, the anger in him was only stoked to greater heights at the confirmation.

"It's not what it looks like," Sakura whispered, her expression crestfallen. "Izuna…"

"You lied to me," Izuna cut her off, reaching into the holster at his side. A deathly calm had washed over him, the memory of his meeting with Zetsu rising to the forefront of his mind. Sakura had probably been feeding information to the Senju for months now, had taken his trusted secrets and gave it to them for what? For money?

He raised his gun and Sakura immediately scrambled back, her pretty green eyes wide with terror as she stared at the barrel of the gun.

"Izuna," Sakura tried, her voice cracking, tears beginning to slip down her face.

Zetsu had told him she was dangerous, that she couldn't be trusted, that she was a loose end that needed to be cut. Zetsu advised him to get rid of her.

And so Izuna would.

xxx

"Doctor Haruno Sakura, aged 25, has recently been reported as missing. She is credited to have recently developed an antidote to the poison of the serial killer known as Sasori, saving numerous lives. Her method of poison treatment, pioneered by Senju Tsunade, was perfected under the backing of Senju Tobirama. Any information on her location should be reported to the police."


	11. deisaku, a work of art

"Well, aren't you a work of art."

Sakura looked up, her eyes narrowed. She pursed her lips and tilted her head, her eyes going through a quick up and down as she assessed the man in front of her.

"Forgive me, but that isn't a compliment from you," she replied, voice and green eyes cool. Deidara grinned, his whole countenance lighting up as he leaned in closer towards her. Sakura tensed and frowned at him.

"Really?" He smirked. "Do you believe in my man Sasori's point of view then, his idea of everlasting art, yeah?"

"I don't really think much of art in the first place," Sakura replied warily, trying to inch away

Deidara blinked, his lips parted. He abruptly jerked back away from her to give her an incredulous look and then yelled out, "Yo, Sasori!"

There was a moment of silence before the door opened. Sasori peaked his head out, eyes narrowed in his usual annoyance and goggles shoved hastily up his head.

"Stop flirting with Sakura," he groused, scowl on his lips, right before Deidara could even open his mouth. Deidara closed his mouth and pouted. Sakura's cheeks heated up and she covered her face.

"That isn't–I wasn't–My man! She's lived with you for months, yeah! How does she not think much of art?" Deidara complained loudly. "Even your opinion of art is better than no opinion at all!"

Sasori rolled his eyes and deftly placed his goggles back onto his face before he rolled his chair back into his workroom. The slam of the door behind him was loud enough that she almost didn't hear Deidara's groan.

"Okay, okay," Deidara muttered, almost to himself. He rubbed his hands together and then turned again to face her. Each and every one of his moments was abrupt and loud, his whole presence seemingly taking up the empty room. It was so different from how her cousin-slash-brother seemed to try his best to blend in amongst a crowd, she couldn't imagine how the two of them were best friends. (That is, until she remembered the day and night phenomenon that was Sasuke and Naruto.)

"Come with me, yeah," he grinned and held out his hand, the stark black of the tattoo on his palm a tease. "How about I introduce to you some art? Who knows, yeah? You might even like it."

Sakura's lips quirked. "You can try," she accepted, and reached out to take his hand.


	12. sasosaku, tattoo

"It's ironic," Sasori said as he wiped away the final traces of blood and ink on her shoulder. He rolled his seat back and Sakura looked up from where she had been pressing her face into the black leather, her face slightly sweaty from the effort of bearing through the pain.

She met his eyes, warm and brown.

"What?" She asked, and her voice came out with a rasp, a husky quality to it that made her quickly clear her throat and then ask again, "Sorry, what?"

Sasori's lips twitched. He tilted his head and motioned lazily to the newly inked tattoo high on her shoulder, a collection of cosmos and sakuras in beautiful watercolor.

"A tattoo of flowers. They're ephemeral things, not meant to last. Tattoos are more or less forever."

"I should get a tattoo of some fireworks then," Sakura teased as she propped herself up on her elbow to face him. Sasori's eyes darted down her bare chest, his gaze hot on her skin.

"Deidara would like that," he murmured, and then looked back up. He smirked, the sight of it sending tingles down the pit of her stomach. "As long as I'm the one to get to tattoo it on you."

Not taking his eyes off her, Sasori reached behind him. Sakura's breath hitched, her lips parting in anticipation. Her heartbeat was loud in her chest, her cheeks flushed and her muscles tight. Slowly, Sasori… pulled out a plastic wrap. Sakura's shoulders slumped.

"Turn around," Sasori chuckled. He sounded amused. Sakura refrained from scowling and did as she was told, facing the fall. She heard the soft crinkle of the plastic as he unrolled it before he spread it over her shoulder, his hands gentle as he covered her tattoo. Sakura sighed as he pulled away once he was done fixing it onto her skin.

"Same as usual then?" Sakura asked, reaching up to fix her hair. Her shoulder twinged, skin still very much irritated from being repeatedly stabbed by multiple needles. She ignored it and looked up at Sasori through her eyelashes.

Sasori gave her an assessing look and smiled at her, slow and languid. Sakura swallowed.

"Yes, I'm sure you know how to take care of a new tattoo by now," he murmured. "When will I see you next? When you came back for your next tattoo?"

He was mocking her, Sakura was sure of it. He looked amused.

Her face reddened and she looked away, hastily buttoning up her shirt. "Well," she said primly. "I was hoping we could get dinner, if you were free."

His smile widened. "Finally. I've grown tired of waiting for you to ask."


	13. kakasaku, star

"I'm sorry," the doctor said quietly. Kakashi nodded, his expression lost. He felt numb. It hadn't quite sunken in yet, but his chest felt tight and cold, his whole body in pain.

"How long does she have?" He finally asked, his eyes squeezed shut. He looked up and met the doctor's pitying gaze.

"A month at most."

"Okay," Kakashi breathed and nodded again. "Okay."

He shook his head and stood up, the chair clattering on the wooden floor. "Thank you," he said stiffly and walked out.

xxx

"Please," he whispered as he looked up at the night sky. The stars twinkled back at him in response, taunting and teasing him. "Please, I'll do anything. Heal her, show us someone who can save her. Please."

He had promised Obito… He had promised to take care of his wife for him, but this was a fight on a battlefield that Kakashi could not reach. This wasn't anything he could shoot at or fistfight. This was Rin's own body fighting against her and medicine was no longer enough for her.

He should have done something earlier. He had smelled the sickness on her for months now, he should have…

"Hey."

Kakashi turned his head just enough to see Rin smiling at him weakly.

"What are you doing out?" He sighed, already automatically standing up to help steady her. "The doctors said you should rest."

She gripped his arm, fingers bone thin and lax. He winced. "I was looking for you."

"Let's go back inside," Kakashi murmured.

Above them, a star shot across the sky, falling and falling, until its light disappeared.

xxx

"Kakashi?" Rin called out uncertainly, early in the morning. "There's someone outside the door."

"Tell them we're not accepting visitors!" Kakashi responded tiredly, rubbing a hand over his face as he threw his legs over the edge of his bed.

Whoever it was on the other side of the door knocked again, louder and more insistent. Kakashi ignored it.

"Kakashi!" A voice called out from outside.

Kakashi frowned. He didn't recognize the voice, but he was sure that he wasn't expecting anyone to come visit.

"I"ll get it," he reassured Rin. Rin bit her lip and nodded.

He made his way to the door and then opened it, already frowning. When it swung open to reveal a slight woman with pink hair and vibrant green eyes, he couldn't help but gape.

"Do I know you?"

She beamed at him.

"Aw, Kakashi, you called for me last night," the woman said fondly and then patted his chest before gently, but forcefully pushing him out of the way to get to Rin.

"Hey!" He barked, but her only reaction was to toss her hair back and shoot another smile his way.

"What are you doing?" He demanded, striding after her and grabbing her arm just as she reached out to a wide-eyed Rin.

She met his gaze, her own green eyes twinkling.

"I'm making your wish come true."

xxx

"Truth or Dare? How juvenile."

Sakura – Kakashi had learned her name by now, he was more partial in trusting her after having seen how Rin looked so much better now – gave him an impish sort of smile. A playfulness that bordered on mischievousness.

"Juvenile?" she repeated, her tongue curling over the word as if she was saying it for the first time, testing and tasing it out. "Why, I haven't heard that word used to describe me in years."

"I was referring to your suggestion in playing a children's game, not to you, although it would be certainly applicable," Kakashi responded, giving as good as he got. Rin made a small snort of amusement and Kakashi raised an eyebrow at her, daring her to say anything. She looked in much better spirits though, and her good mood was affecting him.

Sakura grinned, a baring of teeth that should have left Kakashi uneasy. "Of course," she agreed amiably. "But just so you know, if anyone was going to describe… how juvenile the other was, it would not be you."

"Really." Kakashi's voice was flat, carefully disbelieving. She didn't look much older than 20 years, but Kakashi knew better than anyone to assume that what was on the surface was the reality. He didn't know what she was, although he had his suspicions.

Sakura laughed airily and crossed one leg over the other. She looked annoyed yet amused, an odd juxtaposition. "Aren't there things you want to know?"

"Yes, but I don't think we need to play this game for you to answer my questions."

"It doesn't work like that," Sakura responded demurely, her expression becoming serious. Her eyes flashed, the green of them such an odd, otherwordly color. "Unless someone wishes it to be, of course."

Kakashi's lips straightened into a thin line and he glanced at Rin. She was staring at Sakura with a surprised, calculating look on her eye. Everyone underestimated her. Between he and Obito, Rin didn't look like much, but her mind was sharp and she always understood people better than him.

"And what do you get in return for fulfilling a wish?" Rin challenged, voice strong, as if she hadn't spent the last few weeks bedridden. Kakashi narrowed his eyes at Sakura. He hadn't even taught of that. He should have been more wary when she had mentioned wishes before healing Rin, but he was admittedly desperate for a solution.

"You forgot to ask me truth or dare," Sakura smiled, tilting her head as she appraised Rin once more. Good. She recognized Rin as formidable in her own right, as she should.

There was a sudden awkward silence as all three of them stared at each other, neither backing down. Sakura sighed, breaking it and pouted slightly.

"Don't worry, I have no plams to harm either of you. I swear it. It's been forbidden."

"By who?"

Sakura's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Clearly it had been a slip of the tongue for her to reveal that she was forbidden from causing harm to either of them. It made her look painfully young and once more, Kakashi felt so much older in her presence. Her expression carefully smoothed out, but she wasn't very good at hiding her emotions. Her jaw was tight with the slightest hints of panic.

"Well, that's another question, isn't it?" She said, trying valiantly to recover.

Rin and Kakashi both glanced at each other in silent conversation. At Rin's tiny nod, Kakashi relaxed.

"Fine," Kakashi said warily. "I wish for you to answer any questions we may have, truthfully and to the best of your ability."

She smiled at him, a little smug at clearly having regained the upperground. "Sorry. You've already used up your wish for the time being." She glanced at Rin significantly. Rin frowned in response.

"Alright," she finally nodded. "I wish for you to answer any questions we may have, truthfully, completely, and to the best of your ability."

Sakura's green eyes practically sparkled as she nodded. "Go ahead then. Ask."

"What are you?"

Sakura blinked, and then laughed abruptly. "Haven't you figured it out? I'm a star. A wish granter star, if you want to be specific."

Kakashi nodded tightly. He had his suspicions, but he wanted to be sure.

"Why are you here?" Rin asked.

"Because he wished for you to be healed," Sakura responded easily, and nodded in Kakashi's direction.

"I'm sure plenty of people have wished for something last night. And that wasn't the first time I've wished for anything either," Kakashi replied, his eyes narrowed.

"That wasn't a question."

"Why now? What do you want in return?"

Sakura's lips pursed. "Things are complicated from where I come from. I need your help."

Kakashi frowned. "Why me?"

Sakura was silent, looking as if she was debating what to tell him before she sighed.

"Your friend recommended you."

"Friend?" Rin prodded.

Sakura sighed and then looked away determinedly.

"Obito Uchiha," she revealed.

Kakashi's heart stopped and he gaped at her underneath his mask. He turned his head to catch Rin staring at Sakura in disbelief, her face pale, and beside her, her hands shook.

"No," Rin murmured, shaking her head. "You're lying. Obito is dead – he can't…You're lying."

Sakura gave her a pitying look. "You wished for me to be honest."

"I can't…" Rin covered her face and stood up abruptly, her chair clattering as she ran to her room. The slam of the door behind her was loud in the silence and Kakashi couldn't help but wince.

He rubbed a hand over his face and sighed. "What do you need my help with?"

"You're the best tracker he knows – he said you could find anyone anywhere," Sakura started diplomatically and Kakashi waved a hand dismissively. He was, sure, he had a great nose, but he hasn't even seen his dogs since… Obito.

"Well…" Sakura trailed off, and then grimaced.

"The princes of the sun and moon are missing."


	14. kakasaku, lightning

They're surrounded. Rain is pouring around them and everywhere Sakura looks there's another enemy nin coming straight at them. She doesn't have time to think or ponder, her body moving on muscle memory alone as she ducks and weaves, punching and kicking, a portion of her attention dedicated on making sure Kakashi is alright.

Maybe that's why she doesn't see it coming. She had glanced at him and that brief moment of inattention is enough. She knows Tsunade will hit her over the head for it, she's supposed to be medic after all and she's supposed to be able to evade any hit. This is what she can't help but think about even as she gets stabbed straight through her gut.

She chokes up blood, her eyes wide even a she lashes out with a punch that sends the guy who had stabbed her a few paces back, the bones of his face broken. She collapses, gasping slightly as she tries to keep herself up with a single hand, her other glowing green as she stabilized herself. The rain and the injury was making it hard for her breathe, each draw of breath aching and stabbing. The last time she had gotten an injury like this, she was 16 and facing Sasori.

"Sakura!" Kakashi yells. She glances at him and sees his wild eyes, the shock of his silver hair the only color in the dreary gray of the rain. His hands glow blue and Sakura flinches as lightning comes down upon the area, each bolt accurately directed to the enemy nin around her. Their screams fill the air and Sakura covers her face, her eyes closed from the bright flashes of lightning. She should be afraid at how close the bolts of lightning stuck, how she could almost taste it from how near it was, but she feels only the smallest hints of fear. She trusts him.

The smell of ozone fills the air, the hair on her arms sticking up at how close the electricity was around her. She can't quite believe his level of control over the element, how she's still safe in her own untouched circle, but if there's anyone who could do this, it would be Kakashi.

"Sakura," Kakashi gasps as he falls on his knees beside her. He reaches out to touch her, his hand warm.

"I'm fine," Sakura grumbles. "Help me pull it out."

Silently, surrounded by the still bodies of their once-enemies, Kakashi grips the handle of the sword embedded through her and slowly pulls it out. The wet squelch makes him flinch, his eyes fixed on hers as she uses the last of her chakra to heal it just enough. The rain is making his hair stick to his forehead, the droplets running down his face.

She nods grimly, her face pale. Kakashi breathes out, not quite a sigh of relief because they aren't safe yet, it's still a way to go before the border of Fire Country. He leans in and presses his forehead against hers, his eyes squeezed shut with what looks like pain.

"Be more careful, please."

Oh, Sakura thinks, her heart stuttering. He pulls away and then smiles at her through his mask, his eye crinkling at the corner. He looks a little lost.

He stands up, hoisting her up with him, their bodies pressed close together. Sakura almost stumbles but his grip on her arm is firm.

"I'll carry you," he announces, and without waiting for Sakura to reply, he lifts her up onto his back. Sakura reddens and presses her face on his shoulder, the wetness of his vest uncomfortable.

Oh. She repeats in her head to herself, her heartbeat loud in her ears, practically bursting out of her chest. The rain continues to pour around them even as Kakashi launches himself back towards Konoha.

Maybe she did get struck by his lightning.


End file.
